


Best Friends Don't Date

by commandershakarian



Series: Star Wars: The Old Republic [11]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol, Best Friends, Drinking, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2021-02-26 10:09:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22483477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/commandershakarian/pseuds/commandershakarian
Summary: Theron Shan's night out with his best friend, Despina, takes a turn when an uninvited guest stirs up more trouble than he could have expected.
Relationships: Female Republic Trooper/Theron Shan
Series: Star Wars: The Old Republic [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/698910
Kudos: 3





	Best Friends Don't Date

Theron wasn’t entirely sure how much time had passed since they’d arrived, and if he was honest, he truly didn’t care. Not when Despina Sloane had raised her hand to flag down the server and order another round. As the bartender poured the drink, she caught sight of Theron’s raised eyebrows. Once the drink was in her hand, she turned to him and smiled coyly before downing the entire thing.

Theron flinched at the motion, briefly glancing at his own drink. He’d barely drank any of it and there Despina was on her third round of shots. He had no idea where she put the alcohol in that tiny body of hers. “How are you not dead yet?”

It wasn’t the first time he’d asked that question or even something of a similar nature. She shrugged, reaching for the next shot of the bunch. He knew she loved the confused look on Theron’s face, but he wasn’t the only one who inquired after her ability to drink so much. Both Aric Jorgan and Tanno Vik hadn’t believed her claims until they’d drank with her and seen it with their own eyes.

“Want one?” She held out the shot in her hand, offering it to Theron with a smile.

Holding up his hands, the SIS agent wrinkled his nose in disgust. “No, thanks.”

“Your loss.” A friendly voice said from behind him, an arm reaching forward to pluck the shot glass from Despina’s outstretched hand. 

Theron watched as Jonas Balkar, his fellow agent and a friend, downed the drink without a second thought. He threw an arm around Theron’s shoulders, but his grin was only for Despina. “Am I interrupting something?”

“If by ‘something’ you mean ‘me drinking Theron under the table like usual’, then no.” Despina leaned forward, putting her chin in her hand as she met the other agent’s gaze. “But you can interrupt if you’d like.”

Jonas laughed appreciatively, sitting on the stool between Despina and Theron, blocking the latter from the conversation. “Don’t mind if I do.”

Theron rolled his eyes and reached for his beer, hating the feeling that struck him at the sight of his friends hitting it off. Aric had warned him of Despina’s constant need to flirt, especially when Jonas Balkar was involved. Apparently, the two of them couldn’t help themselves when around each other. He never put much thought into it until he saw them together. Now jealousy had reared its ugly head and he knew there was no way to put it back where it belonged.

To hide the sigh that threatened to expose him, Theron chugged the drink in his hand, hoping to numb the ache he felt. Nothing would rid him of it, he knew that, but maybe some alcohol would help for a little while. Placing the empty bottle on the bartop in front of him, that sigh he was trying to avoid slipped out. It immediately caught Jonas’s attention.

“Something wrong, Shan?” Jonas grinned in his direction, obviously knowing what nerves to prod.

Theron wasn’t going to give Jonas the satisfaction of finally getting a rise out of him. It was tough, but he managed to force a smile of his own. “Nothing at all, Balkar.”

Jonas’s smile widened and Theron realized too late what his mistake was.  _ Balkar _ . He only ever called Jonas by his last name when he was annoyed. Damn it. 

“Because if the two of you are finally biting the bullet and, you know,  _ dating _ \- then I’ll be a gentleman and back off.”

Theron wasn’t going to fall for his bait again. “Of course we aren’t dating, Jonas. We’re best friends. Best friends don’t date.”

Despina peeked around Jonas with a disgruntled expression. “They don’t? Or they  _ can’t _ ?”

Theron was thrown by Despina interjecting herself into the conversation. He had no idea how to respond. “I… uh-”

Jonas watched the exchange gleefully. The idiot loved drama way too much for his own good.

“Oh um-” Theron rubbed the back of his neck nervously, shooting a glare at Jonas. “I guess they can if they both, uh, if they both wanted to date.”

“And  _ do _ you want to date me, Theron?” Despina asked, more serious than he’d ever seen her before. He ignored Jonas completely as he realized the question was genuine. Did she want to date him? And if so, how long had she wanted to?

Theron met her gaze, needing her to realize that his answer wasn’t a joke and was sincere no matter who witnessed it. “Yes, Despina. Yes, I want to date you.”

Despina’s responding smile was radiant and she turned away briefly, hiding it behind a curtain of brunette hair. For as long as he’d known her, she had never shown any signs of being a romantic, but then the most unlikely of people usually were. It only took a few seconds, but when she faced him again, her cheeks were a light shade of pink. 

Was she… blushing?

“Finally. It took you long enough.” She teased before taking her final shot of alcohol.

“So does that mean-”

Placing the tiny glass on the bar, she nodded. She was awful at hiding her excitement, but he would give this time to collect herself. “Yes, Theron Shan. I want to date you too.”

Jonas shifted away from them, a movement that caught Theron’s eye. As he glanced up at his friend, he saw the devious look on the spy’s face. With a nod, Jonas left the bar and disappeared into the surrounding crowd. The entire thing was comical, but it was after he left that Theron realized his friend’s true intent.

Theron would have to thank him later.


End file.
